Friday, 24 September 2010

Two new ventures and the new collection

First new venture: I'm taking Les Petits Anglais out into the real world, aka Bentley Heath Country Market.

This is both exciting and scary. While it's great spending Friday mornings with people who don't expect me to discus the finer points of Dora the Explorer or follow me into the loo, the responsiblity of producing garments that people can feel and touch and criticise in front of me is weighing pretty heavy on me. Every time I see someone taking one of my garments off the rail I'm sure they're examining it for flaws and will denounce me to the market manager.I have to keep reminding myself that I can sew, my stuff is nice and people have bought it before and seemed to like it.

And finally I remember that all this agonising is entirely moot since people rarely go to Country Markets to squander £28 on a dress for a child.

For what it's worth, the feedback I had today was entirely complimentary and I might actually convert compliments into sales soon.

Though I say it as shouldn't, I really do love this new collection and I'm only sorry I don't have the time to let Laura have one of everything. I'm letting her choose just one and she went straight for this 'mingoes dress'. Its a bamboo/cotton velour Olivia dress with Juule hood. The mingoes are of course flamingoes with sequin eyes.

All of the new collection is now in my Folksy shop and I only wish I could take better photographs! The denim garments are so cute in real life and look so terrible in these pictures.

The denim pinafore is especially sweet but can I get a good picture of that round yoke? Nope, not so much!

Even the peacock doesn't come out well. I think it's probably time I started looking out for a photography course.

Speaking of courses, this brings me onto my second venture: teaching two people how to sew. My first pupil is a complete novice but she has now made a skirt for her daughter and sewn a button on her husband's shirt. She's hugely enthusiastic (well, not so much about sewing on buttons, and who could blame her?) and is doing well. My other pupil has some sewing experience but her foot-wide perfectionist streak prevents her from setting a stitch in case she does it wrong. Our target is to get her to complete one of her 4 UFOs, and she is very nearly there. I'm proud of them both!

8 comments:

Oh my goodness your dresses are so cute! I am sure you will sell some of them. If anything you are going to gain exposure so even if you don't get many sales this time, they will be looking for you next time prepared to buy! So wonderful!

your items ARE very cute, and I know you'll be a success at the market! The Olivia-s are so cute!!!I once made a few skirts, intended for my girl and the rest for sale. EVentually - I just couldn't sale them... My girl was VERY happy!

Is there a photographer around that you could get to do some product shots. Especially if you are doing a "collection" and will have the same items. I keep thinking of asking a friend who is a photographer if she would take an outfit or two in trade for some product shots. And then obviously the photographer would watermark her photos and get some advertising through you using them.